


Five Letters

by akire_yta



Series: prompt ficlets [216]
Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Librarian (Movies)
Genre: Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-31
Updated: 2015-12-31
Packaged: 2018-05-10 13:48:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5588284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/akire_yta/pseuds/akire_yta
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>trcunning asked for "Which Avenger(s) got an invitation to interview for the Library? Did they skip the interview, get rejected or say "no thank you"? (I'm torn between Tony Stark and Nick Fury.)" I didn't get to Nick or Tony, alas (and I take the broadest interpretation of 'Avenger' *g*)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Five Letters

**1) Pepper Potts**

The invitation is heavy, old parchment-esque paper and gilt edge peeking through the slit her secretary had carved in the egg-white envelope.  Pepper weighed in it her hand idly, her eyes roving over the spreadsheets of quarterly reports, factory outputs, that concerning email from their factory liaison in Shandong, the thousand other things on her tasklist for today.  She let the envelope slip into the second pile on her desk without even looking at the contents.  “Lisa,” she told her aide.  “Whoever’s wedding this is, find their registry, buy them a toaster or whatever from me, and put a note in my calendar for the day before so I can send the bride a ‘good luck, sorry I can’t be there’ message, ok?”  Lisa nodded, tapping notes furiously on her pad as she whisked the envelope away.  “Great, thanks.  Now get me our Shandong liaison on the phone, I need details…”

**2) Peter Parker**

Peter didn’t know who was looking out for him, but the invitation to apply for a job at the NY Public Library was a godsend – photojournalists had been the first to be cut in JJ’s latest round of cost savings (read: firings), and superheroing just didn’t pay the bills.

“Do what you love, they said,” Peter snorted to himself as he bounded up the library steps and into the echoing main foyer.  “Well, I love to eat, so…” he glanced around until he spotted someone who looked like they worked here, and headed over.  “Here I am!”  He beamed as the staff member recoiled back in surprise.  Peter held up his letter.  “Can you tell me where the interviews are being held, please?”

Wordlessly, the man pointed to the large, spiraling staircase in the far corner.  Peter felt his stomach drop; the line seemed to go all the way to the top, several stories above them.  “Thanks,” he muttered, drifting listlessly over to join the queue.  The girl he stood behind gave him the one over.  “Hi, I’m Noorah.  I think we’re going to be waiting a while.  Say, were you in my cataloging class?”

The thrumming tug of his spidersense was almost a relief.  Outside, there was a blare of police sirens.  “Sorry, not me, wrong line, gotta go!”

Swinging between the towers, picking up speed, Peter shrugged; he probably wasn’t cut out for the dull, quite life of a librarian anyway.

**3) Kamala Khan**

“You are a child,” her mother said, ripping the letter into confetti.  “You should be studying, not working.”

Her father watched from over his paper.  “A job may teach her the value of hard work,” he suggested gently.

Her mother let the paper flutter into the bin.  “Soon.  Let her be a child a little while longer.”

Kamala excused herself to her room.  The night air was cool as she looked out on Jersey from beneath her mask, the letter already forgotten.  “Time to go to work,” she murmured as she dropped out of the window and into the darkness.

**4) Steve Rogers**

The letter was warm in his hands as he climbed slowly up to the library, nodding at Mrs Belridge behind the counter as he paused to catch his breath.

Bucky liked to tease him that the library was his second home, but it was warm, and dry, and full of everything from art folios to newspapers.  No-one ever looked twice at him here.

Steve walked through into the Rose Reading Room, his footfalls loud on the parquetry floor.  A stern woman watched him from over the top of his glasses as he walked down the long, long central passage towards her.  “Hello, ma’am,” he said politely, placing his letter on the table.   He knew he was panting slightly; winter had come early, this year, and already his chest felt tight and full from the cold.  He pushed past all that, like he did every year, and smiled at her like Bucky would, charming and sincere.  “I received this?”

She glanced at the letter, then back at him.  Her eyes tracked over him in a way that measured him from his shoe size to his hat band.  “I’m sorry,” she said, and Steve felt his heart clench.  “I don’t know why this was sent to you.  You’re obviously not suited.  This,” she continued on, holding up a hand as Steve went to interject.  “Is a rather…strenuous position.”  She took the letter before Steve could react, disappearing it into a drawer.  “My apologies that you had to come all this way.  Good day.”

Steve dragged his feet all the way back up the length of the reading room, past fitter men reading newspapers about the atrocities in Europe, the ongoing debate for a draft.  One of them was probably waiting to be interviewed, Steve realized.  Shoulders slumped, he headed back out into the cold.

**5) Bruce Banner**

Bruce sipped his tea, and smiled serenely at the earnest young man before him.  “I remember that letter.  You rarely see parchment these days.”

“But you didn’t answer it?” The blonde beside him asked.

Bruce put down his cup.  “No.  I thought it best not to.  I have…anger management issues.”  He shook his head as the man wound himself up again.  He seemed…energetic. Bruce tried to avoid the type, these days.  “I am sorry you came all this way.  But the answer is still no.”

The blonde sighed.  “There are men – they might come after you.”  She paused, weighing her words.  “They’ll try to kill you.”

Bruce poured himself more tea.  “They’ll try,” he agreed.  “Good day, Colonel.”

 

and a bonus

**6) Maria Hill**

“So let me get this straight, you recruit some of the greatest minds of the age, and then shove them out the door with a wave, and just wait for them to get killed?”  Maria stared down the old man before her, ignoring the slight susurration through the artifacts.  “That is madness, and it stops now.”  She turned on the spot, casting her eye over the new recruits they had just rescued from assassins and god-damned ninjas.  “You lot,” she told them in a tone that brooked no argument.  “Are getting training.”

The girl, Bishop, raised her hand.  “Do we get a choice?”

Maria grinned.  “Yeah.  You can choose to train, or you can choose to leave.”  She’d seen the wonder in the girl’s eyes as they’d all been given the tour of the library by the mad current Librarian.  She was hooked already; Maria knew the type.  “You are Librarians-in-Training.  And your training starts now.”

 


End file.
